Sunday, August 19, 2012

Flowers of the Day: Petunias

There was a time that I didn't love petunias.

 It was partly because of their spicy smell, and partly because they get so leggy in the heat. Well, they smell the same (just smell my car after I pick up a few flats), but the newest versions stay compact and bushy.

Needless to say, I have adjusted my earlier thinking.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Our Latest Press Release: St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Launces New Website for Travelers



St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Launches New Website for Travelers

Visitors to St. Augustine, FL can find all the information they need for their trip at the Bayfront Marin House's new website. Links include Things to Do in St. Augustine, as well as ideas for romantic getaways like anniversaries and honeymoons.

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The Bayfront Marin House, a 15-room bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida, has launched a new website at http://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com.

The Bayfront Marin House, a 15-room bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida, has launched a new website at http://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com.


Visitors to the website will be able to plan their entire trip to St. Augustine, with links detailing the history of the town and the area's best attractions. Guests will also be able to compare amenities from room to room, seeing at a glance if the room has romantic features such as a Jacuzzi tub, a fireplace, or a water view.


"All of our rooms are beautiful," says Mike Wieber, owner of the historic bed and breakfast. "The new site allows our visitors to more easily compare rooms and make selections that will make their St. Augustine getaway perfect."


The inn's website also allows guests to see add-on services at a glance--from carriage rides through the old city to private sails on the Matanzas Bay. "Our guests are often celebrating a special event," says Wieber. "We have services and amenities that make any honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday celebration a day to remember. Our new website makes it much easier to see the various options, and to book them online."

The website was designed by Old City Web Services, a St. Augustine based company offering a variety of design and marketing services including web development, search engine optimization, logo creation and more.

Whether or not you like The Weather Channel, You Have to Like St. Augustine (And they definitely like us!!)

St. Augustine was featured yesterday morning on The Weather Channel, as their meteorologists broadcast from our lighthouse from 6am til 10am.
You can check out the whole story in the Record here.
Speaking of weather, it's absolutely beautiful this morning. I need to get to the store to buy some things for our new bathrooms (they should be ready next weekend!), and then I'm headed to the garden.
Enjoy the weekend!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Flowers of the Day: Yellow Roses

What's happier, sunnier, more summery than yellow? NOTHING!!!

This photo is from Brianna and Adrian's wedding, held in the gazebo yesterday. Brianna carried a gorgeous round bouquet of yellow roses, and her groom sported a yellow tie and yellow boutenniere. The girls wore yellow ribbons in their hair, yellow sandals, and--of course--yellow pedis.

Now, this blogger is all about the yellow--yellow pumps, yellow flats, yellow sweater sets, and an awesome yellow blazer that I wear when I'm doing presentations. So maybe I'm biased...but I have to say, I thought this color absolutely rocked!!

I also loved that the bride included small crystals in the bouquets, and in her hair. It added a great sparkle in the yellow sunshine!

See more photos below.









Nothing mellow about this yellow--and I loved it!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Local Secrets: Where to Eat


If I had a dollar for every time someone says to me, "Wow--Saint Augustine has the most amazing restaurants. It must be great to live here and eat at them all the time!!"

If I *did* have a dollar for every time someone said that to me, I might have enough money to eat at Saint Augustine restaurants all the time.

Which is why I was so excited when Mojo's finally opened (their contractors may have moved even slower than our own--and that's sayin' something). Mojo's is a barbecue place...the kind of casual, laid back joint that offers pulled pork sandwiches and a row of 5 different sauces to enjoy with it (Chipotle, Sweet, Vinegar, Mustard, and Mojo BBQ). I like to douse the pork in vinegar, then dot with a little of the sweet sauce.

They have awesome sides, too--like pit baked beans (smoky and just a little sweet), collard greens (so good with chunks of bacon), the best french fries in town (I put a little vinegar on them too), mac n' cheese (haven't tried it yet, but people moan when they taste it), black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, and a bunch of other ones that I also haven't tried. They've only been open about a month; give a girl a little time.

But you know what's really awesome about it? It's huge, for one, which means that you can actually go there on a Saturday night (we locals NEVER go out to eat on a Saturday night--it only makes us cranky to wait in lines), and you can get a sandwich and side for just nine bucks.

That's right--nine bucks. In addition to the pork, the hub loves the blackened catfish, even though you can't load it up with sauces. I plan to try the maple salmon entree next time I go--sure, it's a whopping $15, but sometimes even us locals have to live it up.

Getting Crafty: My Latest Wreath


This wreath doesn't suc-ulent.
 Every now and again, I get inspired to do something a little crafty.

Last week, inspiration struck and I created this wreath for our back patio area. It's where we keep the bicycles and beach chairs, and it's not a very trafficked area--but I think every space has the right to be beautiful.

What do you think? Is it beautiful or what?

(Want to make your own? I got a grapevine wreath, then glued green "grass" to it, as well as some natural moss. I then wired--and hot glued--2 sizes of terracotta pots to the wreath, and filled them with succulents. Because I know I'm not great at watering! Then I tucked in/glued some little birds, a couple of butterflies, and finished it with a raffia bow made out of two colors of raffia, a pinecone, and another bird for good luck. I bought everything at Michael's, except the plants which I got at Home Depot. It was about $25, plants and all).





Thursday, August 2, 2012

Need Help Creating the Perfect Proposal?

St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Offers the Service of Personal Engagement Specialists

Would-be grooms can get advice and help creating a perfectly planned, romantic proposal at this Florida bed and breakfast.

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Many couples choose the Marie Antoinette suite, a waterfront room on the second floor of the Bayfront Marin House.
 
St. Augustine, FL (PRWEB) July 31, 2012

The Bayfront Marin House, a waterfront bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, FL, now offers its guests help in popping the question.
"We were getting more and more requests from would-be grooms, asking us for advice on how to make their proposal perfect," says bed and breakfast owner Mike Wieber. "This service allows grooms to customize a proposal for their special someone, and it ensures that all of the elements of the event--whether it includes dinner reservations, breakfast in bed, special music, whatever--will be taken care of before they arrive."
Engagement specialists can help inn guests create banners, decorate their rooms, or serve a wedding ring on top of a stack of pancakes for breakfast.
"Our job is to make suggestions and facilitate the process," says Wieber. "We've set up surprise horse and carriage rides, with the carriage picking the couple up right at our sidewalk and the driver holding a poster that asked 'Will You Marry Me?' We've planned private sunset sails for two, and we've even arranged to have an engagement videotaped on the guests' smart phone so that they could share it with their families. It's awesome to be part of such a special occasion, and to ensure our guests that their proposal will go according to plan."
Other services include creating a special romance package for the couple, complete with items such as a couples' massage, customized flower arrangements, rose petals, chocolate covered strawberries--everything a couple could want to make their proposal memorable.
Engagement specialists' services are offered free of charge to inn guests; packages are priced based on guest requests.
"Just as couples work with a wedding coordinator to make sure their ceremony is perfect, we wanted our guests to have the support of an event planner to make sure that their proposal is perfect as well," says Wieber.
More Information about the Bayfront Marin House
The Bayfront Marin House in Saint Augustine, Florida is a 15-room, luxury bed and breakfast inn. Located on the Matanzas Bay, the bed and breakfast offers stunning views of the water, along with a hot southern breakfast each morning, daily happy hours, delicious desserts, and the highest levels of personalized customer service. The lodging has recently been awarded TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence for 2012.